LONDON, Nov. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Paris tops for the third consecutive year the QS Best Student Cities, a ranking of the world’s top cities for students, released today on TopUniversities.com. Melbourne (2nd) gains three places while London drops to the third position.

The ranking, compiled by the team behind the QS World University Rankings, is based on five key pillars, which are then broken down into individual criteria: university rankings; student mix; quality of living; employer activity and affordability.

To be included in the ranking, each city must have a population of over 250,000, and must be home to at least two ranked institutions in the QS World University Rankings. 116 cities in the world qualify on this basis, 50 have been ranked.

The fourth new indicator added for the 2015 edition is Tolerance & Inclusion. Of vital importance to many international students is whether the environment in which they find themselves is likely to be hospitable to their own cultural background, lifestyle and personal identity. This score is based on the Social Progress Index, which tracks indicators by country on a variety of aspects, including Tolerance & Inclusion.

29 countries are represented with the most cities in the US (8), followed by Australia (6), UK (4) and by Canada and Japan with 3 apiece.

Ben Sowter, head of research at QS, says: “QS Best Student Cities provides students with a complementary tool to the university-focused rankings. After all, a university experience is intrinsically influenced by the location, especially for international students.”

Students globally are sharing opinions and experiences about their #QSBestCities.

Amanda Smith from the USA says: “London is an incredible place to be a student as it gives you access to amazing experiences and sources of knowledge. Furthermore it’s unique in its diversity and heritage.”

“Montreal offers a melting pot of languages, cultures, and ideas, it’s impossible not to be inspired here. For me, a great student city is one where you learn more outside of the classroom than in it, and in this regard, Montreal has proved to be a perfect student city,” echoes Michael M. from the UK.

“Studying Tokyo is enriching my life culturally and academically: it’s such a creative city!” says Ming Li from China.

Most Affordable Cities for Students 2014

November 22, 2013 – When searching for your ideal study destination, it can seem impossible to find somewhere that meets all your criteria, especially your budget. But for those willing to travel, there are a broad range affordable student cities worldwide – and spending less does not have to mean compromising on the quality of the university or your wider study abroad experience.

Below are 2014’s ten most affordable cities for students, based on the QS Best Student Cities 2014. This index uses four indicators to assess affordability: tuition fees, Mercer’s Cost of Living Survey, the Big Mac Index and the iPad Index. These are combined (with tuition fees carrying twice the weight of the other indicators) to give an overall picture of the level of costs students can expect to incur while living and studying in each city.

Each of these cities also meets the general criteria for inclusion in the overall Best Student Cities index: a population of over 250,000 and at least two universities assessed as part of the QS World University Rankings®. So each city offers the chance to study at an internationally recognized institution and to be part of a sizeable metropolis, with all the recreational and professional opportunities that can bring.

Some of these top 10 most affordable cities combine low tuition fees with generally low living expenses; others are in fact known for being pretty expensive places to live, but this is balanced out by low study costs. Half of the top 10 are in Europe, four in Asia and one in Latin America. It’s perhaps unsurprising that none are in the US, UK, Australia or Canada – all very popular among international students, but all known for charging high tuition fees.

1. Kuala Lumpur

This year’s most affordable city for students is Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, ranked 43rd in the Best Student Cities overall. Malaysia has been steadily gaining presence in the international university rankings, and many of its leading universities are found here in the capital, including Universiti Malaya, which ranks among the world’s top 200. General living costs are fairly low, and international students can expect to pay annual tuition fees of around US$3,000, on average.

One of three Latin American entries in the top 50 of this year’s Best Student Cities, the Mexican capital ranks at 46th in the overall index. This huge city – among the largest metropolitan areas in the world – is home to an impressive selection of internationally ranked institutions, led by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), which is within the world’s top 200 and well-established in the top 10 of the QS University Rankings: Latin America.

Taiwan’s capital is another city with an impressive concentration of leading universities. Taipei is home to the country’s top institution, National Taiwan University, which ranks within the world’s top 100, as well as a selection of other leading institutions, both specialized and comprehensive. Tuition fees are relatively low, at an average of US$2,500 per year, as are general living costs. This fast-paced, 24/7 city has a population comparable to that of Hong Kong, and similarly fuses a very modern urban lifestyle with opportunities to explore traditional aspects of Taiwanese and mainland Chinese culture.

Top universities: National Taiwan University (NTU); National Yang Ming University; Taipei Medical University; National Taiwan University of Science and Technology; National Taiwan Normal University; National Taipei University of Technology; National Chengchi University; Fu Jen Catholic University

Average tuition fees: US$2,500

Cost of a Big Mac: US$2.48

Cost of an iPad: US$538.34

4. Berlin

Now just outside the top 10 overall in the QS Best Student Cities, Berlin remains one of the world’s most affordable cities for students. This is largely thanks to the fact that public universities in Berlin, as in most parts of Germany, do not charge tuition fees to either local or international students (with the exception of some master’s programs). Berlin itself is a relatively inexpensive place to live, and certainly much more affordable than other Western European capitals such as London or Paris. Its highest ranked university, Freie Universität Berlin, is just outside the world’s top 100.

Germany’s third largest city, Munich is home to the country’s second and third highest ranked universities, Technische Universität München and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, which are currently at 53rd and 65th in the world respectively. The city has slightly higher general living expenses than Berlin, and is located in Bavaria, one of the last German regions to charge tuition fees, albeit fairly low ones. In fact the regional government has recently announced that fees will be abolished by the end of the current academic year, so Munich seems set to become an even more affordable study destination.

China’s largest city by population, and the largest city proper in the world, Shanghai has in fact been rated the most expensive Chinese city to live in. However, it still emerges as one of the most affordable cities for students; living costs are still relatively low from an international perspective, and average tuition fees are about the same as in Malaysia. It’s home to several of China’s highest ranking universities, including Fudan University (currently ranked 88th in the world) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (123rd) and is highly rated by graduate employers as a source of recruits.

While Paris is top of the overall QS Best Student Cities for the second year running, it’s the country’s second largest conurbation which takes the highest score for affordability. Lyon benefits from France’s low tuition fee rates, without the high living costs associated with the French capital. Its top university, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, is the fourth highest ranked in France, at 158= in the QS World University Rankings®, and the top French university outside of Paris. As well as scoring well for affordability, Lyon also does well in the ‘student mix’ category of the index, reflecting its large and internationally diverse student community.

Capital of Belgium and de facto capital of the European Union, Brussels ranks at 32nd in the overall Best Student Cities index. Its highest score is in fact for quality of living, and like Lyon, it also scores well in the student mix category. In terms of overall living costs, it’s not at either extreme, but offers good overall affordability for students thanks to low average tuition fees of just US$1,000 per year. Its two leading universities, Université Libre de Bruxelles and Vrije Universiteit Brussel, both rank within the world’s top 200.

The Finnish capital is not often found on lists of most affordable cities; the Nordic region of Europe is famed for its high living costs. However, Helsinki is the most affordable of the Nordic capitals according to the Mercer Cost of Living Survey, and also benefits from the fact that in Finland all bachelor’s and doctoral programs are free, regardless of nationality. (The country is just nearing the end of a trial period in which some master’s programs carry fees for non-EU/EEA students). Helsinki is home to Finland’s top two universities, both of which rank within the world’s top 200.

Top universities: University of Helsinki; Aalto University

Average tuition fees: US$0

Cost of a Big Mac: US$4.34

Cost of an iPad: US$695.25

10. Hong Kong

Hong Kong has much higher average tuition fees than the other cities in this top 10, and is also rated among the world’s most expensive cities according to the Mercer Cost of Living Survey. However, while some expenses, such as those relating to property, are very high in this densely packed city-state, daily expenses such as food remain relatively cheap. And of course the fees are still much lower than those charged in the US, for instance. Hong Kong boasts one of the world’s most impressive collections of high-ranking universities, including three within the world’s top 50.

Top universities: University of Hong Kong (HKU); The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST); The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK); City University of Hong Kong; The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU); Lingnan University (Hong Kong)

Peace Through Tourism

How Travel & Tourism Can Help Restore the Balance in the Emerging New World Order

"The travel & tourism buzzword of the 21st century will be the search for balance."

That forecast was made by Imtiaz Muqbil, Executive Editor, Travel Impact Newswire, in the monthly strategic intelligence publication of PATA, the Pacific Asia Travel Association, way back in February 1999. Today, it is proving spot-on as the word "balance" resonates across all industry sectors.

Travel industry conferences seeking a speaker who can offer some unique historical hindsight, unconventional foresight and thought-provoking insight on how to rebuild and restore the balance in Asia Pacific travel & tourism can email Imtiaz Muqbil by clicking here.

There Can Be No Sustainability Without Spirituality

The New World Order will be dominated by a resurgence of spirituality.

Imtiaz Muqbil claims to be the world's only travel journalist to have visited the Holy Spots of all the major world religions -- Lumbhini, Bodhgaya, Varanasi, Nalanda, Jerusalem, Vatican City, Amritsar, Makkah, Madinah, Najaf and Karbala, as well as religious spots such as Angkor Wat, Bagan, Shwedagon Pagoda, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Temple of The Tooth, Somnath Temple, Samarkand, Bukhara and many other great mosques, shrines, temples and cathedrals worldwide.

Sustainability, ecotourism and health & wellness travel have all become so 'yesterday'. Prepare for the new generation of travel in the New World Order and raise the bar of your next conference, management forum or seminar by hearing Imtiaz Muqbil's thoughts on this unmatched game- and life-changing experience.

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Secrets of Thailand's Tourism Success

Why the Amazing Kingdom is notching up record-breaking arrivals, and what challenges it faces next

The Thai tourism industry has become by far the Kingdom's most successful service sector, one of its leading job-creators and foreign exchange-earners. Behind this success lies a fascinating history of great branding campaigns, policy and regulatory changes, budgetary bunfights, strategic thinking and influence of Royal events.

But this success has now bred a new set of management challenges that may be more difficult to overcome.

Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil has been monitoring the pulse of the Thai travel industry full-time since 1981. Industry conferences and management meetings wishing to benefit from a treasure trove of insights and hindsights on one of the world's great tourism success stories can drop an email here: imtiaz@travel-impact-newswire.com.

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The Rise of the Whistle-Blowers

For 15 years (January 1997-July 2012), Imtiaz Muqbil penned a hard-hitting fortnightly column called “Soul-Searching” in the so-called “newspaper you can trust”. In July 2012, the column was gagged, with no explanation.

Over the years, four columns had explicitly forecast the rise of whistle-blowers -- a prediction now coming 100% true. Read the four columns by clicking on the links below.

Too Bad Your Ad Is Not in This Spot

Space available for unique ads that demonstrate commitment to helping physically-challenged people, building global peace, improving social and cultural cohesion, providing opportunities for the under-privileged, alleviating poverty and combatting global injustice & corruption.

If your product is not meeting any of the above goals, please advertise elsewhere.

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News Vs Noise

A Unique Course for Travel & Tourism Communicators In The Internet Era

By far the vast majority of media communications in the travel industry is boring, banal and bland. The same way it has been for the last 30 years.

Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil has designed a special communications course to help upgrade both the context and the content of industry media material, and make it more interesting, readable and, most important, relevant.